State Wrestling Meet : Phillips and Tomazic Win Titles

FRESNO —  His lip was bloody. Both shoulders were sore. His knee was hurting. He was physically exhausted. For Capistrano Valley High School wrestler Mike Phillips, there was no better feeling in the world.

Phillips had just beaten Victor Valley’s Dan Henderson, 9-4, in front of an estimated 7,000 in Selland Arena to win the state championship at 148 pounds.

“When I’m all beat up, I feel like I gave it everything,” the junior said. “It’s not very comfortable, but it’s a great feeling.”

Todd Tomazic of El Dorado knows the feeling well. He won his first state title last year and came back Saturday night to win his second, defeating Workman’s Mike Ramos, 9-4, for the 168-pound championship.

“It feels good!” an excited Tomazic said, still bobbing and weaving after his match was over. “I’m pumped. I’m ready to go overtime.”

Phillips had plenty of incentive for his match. Henderson had defeated Phillips for the Five Counties championship and in the 3-A final this season and had beaten him three other times last summer during the freestyle season.

Henderson scored an early takedown, but Phillips (48-5) came back with an escape, takedown and two-point near fall in the first period to take a 5-2 lead and command of the match.

Tomazic also took control of his match early with a take down and three-point near-fall in the first period. He added a reversal and two-point near-fall for a 9-0 lead after the second.

Phillips had a fairly easy semifinal match Saturday morning, defeating South Bakersfield’s Scott Herndon, 7-3, but Tomazic had to go into overtime to beat Poway’s Brian Woods, 5-0.

Two other Orange County wrestlers placed, as Valencia’s 108-pounder, Sam Lopez, finished third and Savanna’s heavyweight, Tom Osendorf, finished sixth.

Lopez (50-8), who lost in Friday’s quarterfinals, won four consolation matches Saturday. He beat Arroyo’s Marcos Carranza, 4-3, in the third-place final to avenge a 9-8 loss to Carranza in the Southern Section 3-A finals two weeks ago.

Osendorf won two consolation matches Saturday before falling to Channel Islands’ Vince Plymire, 4-3. Osendorf had beaten Plymire, 1-0, in overtime last week on his way to the Southern Section Masters championship.

He then lost to San Ramon’s Craig Miller, 6-3, in his last match and closed the season at 49-4.